Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

We ate all the pretty pieces of this before I remembered to take a photo on the plate. But trust me when I say it was worth the sacrifice. We eat pork tenderloin fairly regularly and this is another super simple recipe for the versatile protein. This crock pot version combines just a few ingredients for a sauce that offers a lot of flavor. And you can probably pull this together in under 5 minutes before work on morning and come home to a delicious dinner that definitely taste like more than a 5 minute time investment. All of the ingredients are pantry staples, so you'll be able to make this a last minute addition to your meal plan without any issues and end up with a tender, juicy pork tenderloin begging to be paired with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin

We love a pork tenderloin--juicy, tender and so easy to load up with all kinds of flavor. Plus you can cook them up pretty quickly in a variety of ways--grill it (if your grill isn't covered in 2 feet of snow), roast it, or use the slow cooker. Which is good because with a baby I find myself making the best intentions to cook dinner (i.e., taking a pork tenderloin out of the freezer for dinner) but then getting a bit distracted and realizing at 4 pm I forgot to prep the crock pot or think about how to cook said tenderloin. So this recipe requiring less than 5 minutes to get ready and about a half hour to cook is perfect for those nights when you realize when you're hungry that you haven't made any food yet. The pork is juicy and flavorful, definitely good enough that we would even plan to make this again. Assuming I remember to take the pork out of the freezer.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Lemon Sauce

You guys, I made an awesome dinner the other night. Seriously, we were both super satisfied with these amazing pork chops. Oodles of flavor and on the table in about 20 minutes.Seriously, what more could you ask for? The pork chops are delicious and tender, and the sauce has a good balance of lemon and garlic to offer something a little different and bright. What I enjoy of these stove top pork chops is how easy it is to keep them juicy and moist, which can sometimes be tricky when you're working with them on the grill--they can get dry so quickly. So in addition to a delicious chop, you also get a lovely sauce with this recipe. By the way, that sauce was pretty tasty when it made it's way to my baked potato, too.

Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops

Pork is a pretty frequent occurrence for dinner in our house. Pulled pork, tenderloin, kebabs, pork chops--they all work for us. And while I love a good pork chop, sometimes I struggle with how to prepare them. Sure we just season them up and throw them on the grill, but that can get old so I'm always looking for something different. Enter these mushroom and gravy smothered chops that come together super quick--definitely a weeknight meal. The chops stay tender and juicy and the mushrooms and sauce provide a ton of extra flavor that you just want to lick off the plate--or at least sop up with some crusty bread or mashed potatoes. Dave declared this dish amazing and it's definitely going to be in our regular rotation.

Caribbean-Style Marinated Pork Kebabs

As I've mentioned, Dave and I get a CSA share from a local farm, Springdell Farms. Not only do they have excellent produce and wonderful staff, but they also raise some mighty tasty meat.  Recently, we picked up some pork kebab meat which we knew immediately would end up on the grill. Dave picked out an amazing marinade that I'll look forward to using again. I mean, you can't go wrong if your meat is going to take a bath in some dark rum and spices, right? The pork turned out slightly sweeter than I expected, but in a good way. It was well flavored and definitely delicious--as it should be.

Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast

Happy New Year! If pork on New Year's Day is a tradition in your house, I'm sure you'll love this tender and flavorful pork loin cooked up with apples and cinnamon. It tastes so good and makes the whole house smell so good as it cooks away in the slow cooker. This dinner is high on flavor and seems a little fancy, but is super simple and only uses a few ingredients that you likely have on hand. Serve with egg noddles or roasted potatoes and some vegetables and you have a hearty and delicious meal that's perfect for family supper or celebrating the New Year.

Pulled Pork & Beer Chili

As you know, we love chili. Like a lot.  It's easy to make, hearty and when the temperature decides to drop to the 20s, it's a great way to warm up, especially with some tortilla chips for scooping and a beer to wash it all down.  Of course you can also add the beer to the chili and bridge the flavor gap, which is of course what I did.  Loaded with beans, peppers, onions and shredded pork, this chili is so quick to make and is delicious.  A little bit of heat from the chili powder and tomatoes with green chiles, and the beer adds a nice depth to the background flavors.  I always cook with a beer that has a good flavor on its own, so this time I chose a lager, Yuengling, since we brought back a couple of cases from Pennsylvania and kicked the keg of Harpoon UFO Pumpkin (don't worry--we've ordered another one to have for Thanksgiving).  Keeping our beer supply well stocked is important.

Hawaiian Pizza

Pizza is a staple for dinner in our house, but I like to change it up every once and a while.  I had some fresh pineapple and some leftover pulled pork, and my mind started to hum.  See there are a few places that will advertise a Hawaiian pizza, but it's never right.  They just toss some ham and pineapple on top of a regular cheese pizza (you know, mozzarella and tomato sauce) and call it a day.  I had better visions.  Barbecue sauce.  Red onion.  Monterrey Jack cheese.  Pulled pork.  Diced pineapple. All on a wheat crust and baked to perfection.  This is the Hawaiian pizza I knew would be delicious.  And I was right.  Dave and I loved this and may have argued over the leftovers.  Perfect with a cold beer for a quick, delicious summer dinner, I've made this a couple of times and know we'll have it many more times.

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

The thing with winters in New England is that it's dark before I leave work, it's so cold that I stay bundled up in the car for my hour-long drive home, and all I want to do when I go home is curl up on the couch under a blanket and next to the fire.  Except Dave expects this thing he keeps calling "dinner" and I guess I should probably eat something too.  And that is why I love my crock pot.  Not only does it mean that dinner is done before I even walk in the door, most of these recipes have few ingredients, are quick to toss together in the stoneware, and usually end up with flavor so delicious, you'd think you spent hours cooking (when really the crock pot did all the work).  Which is why this week, I'm bringing you a week's worth of crock pot meals, new favorites for us, to help make your winter months easier too.  Starting with this pork tenderloin with a surprise ingredient (soy sauce) that might be the best I've ever made.  The soy sauce is an evident flavor, but not overpowering.  It's just about the last flavor you taste when you sop up the juices with this tender pork that just falls apart and melts in your mouth.

Pork Burritos

Did you make pork for dinner last night as a nod for good luck in the New Year?  Maybe you roasted up a big beautiful pork loin.  Or maybe you went simple and fun and tried the Crock Pot Pulled Pork I posted last week.  Either way, I'll bet you have leftovers.  And here I am to share a new way to enjoy those leftovers so you don't feel like you're eating that same thing.  Shred it and wrap it up in a tortilla with rice, beans, cheese and veggies for a simple but delicious burrito that will have everyone in your house asking for more leftovers.  Great flavor, lots of different stuff to make this rival the restaurant burritos.  Even Dave said it was on par with some of his favorites from college.

Pulled Pork and BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Dave and I love barbeque.  Specifically, I love the vinegary barbeque flavor of North Carolina pulled pork.  Sandwiches are always a big with us, so when I saw a recipe showing me how to use my crock pot to roast a pork shoulder for the purpose of making my own pulled pork sandwiches, I was smitten.  I'll share with you a few other recipes from this flexible pulled pork over time, but this sandwich was the first one that caught our eyes.  Juicy, flavorful pork just falls apart and begs to be paired with a tangy sauce and piled high on a toasted bun.  If you're having a low key New Year's gathering but still want to serve the traditional pork meal for luck, this is a great alternative to a big sit down roast with trimmings.